y fresh, and the skiff was down by the stern, so's
the waves kept knocking her nose round. 'Twas dark'n a pocket, too. I
couldn't tell where I WAS going.

"Allie got more fidgety every minute. 'Ain't we 'most there?' he asks.
And then he gives a screech. 'What's that ahead?'

"I turned to see, and as I done it the skiff's bow slid up on something.
I give an awful yank at the port oar; she slewed and tilted; a wave
caught her underneath, and the next thing I knew me and Allie and the
skiff was under water, bound for the bottom. We'd run acrost one of the
guy-ropes of my fish-weir.

"This wa'n't in the program. I hit sand with a bump and pawed up for
air. When I got my head out I see a water-wheel doing business close
along-side of me. It was Allie.

"'Help!' he howls. 'Help! I'm drowning!'

"I got him by the collar, took one stroke and bumped against the
weir-nets. You know what a fish-weir's like, don't you, Mr. Brown?--a
kind of pound, made of nets hung on ropes between poles.

"'Help!' yells Allie, clawing the nets. 'I can't swim in rough water!'

"You might have known he couldn't. It looked sort of dubious for a
jiffy. Then I had an idee. I dragged him to the nighest weir-pole.
'Climb!' I hollers in his ear. 'Climb that pole.'

"He done it, somehow, digging his toes into the net and going up like a
cat up a tree. When he got to the top he hung acrost the rope and shook.

"'Hang on there!' says I. 'I'm going after the boat.' And I struck out.
He yelled to me not to leave him, but the weir had give me my bearings,
and I was bound for my power-boat. 'Twas a tough swim, but I made it,
and climbed aboard, not feeling any too happy. Losing a good skiff was
more'n I'd figgered on.

"Soon's I got some breath I hauled anchor, started up my engine and
headed back for the weir. I run along-side of it, keeping a good lookout
for guy-ropes, and when I got abreast of that particular pole I looked
for Allie. He was setting on the rope, a-straddle of the pole, and
hanging onto the top of it like it owed him money. He looked a good deal
more comfortable than I was when he and Prince had treed me. And the
remembrance of that time come back to me, and one of them things they
call inspiration come with it. He was four feet above water, 'twas full
tide then, and if he set still he was safe as a church.

"So instead of running in after him, I slowed 'way down and backed off.

"'Come here!' he yells. 'Come here, you fool, and